My First Workshop with Essential Oils

A couple of weeks ago I attended an essential oil therapy workshop at one of my favorite yoga studios, Willard Beach Studio.

Essential oils are very new to me in the sense of utilizing them on a regular basis for personal use and therapy.

Being in wellness, I’ve had plenty of interaction with the aromas of lavender, peppermint, citrus, etc to aid in the yoga or meditation experience. Beauty products like shampoo and body lotion have ALL the scents. (another important topic: natural hair and body products)

I’ve gathered that certain smells can be calming, uplifting, grounding or energizing. But I’ve never delved deep into specifically applying an oil or blend for a certain ailment or an emotion I’m having, mostly I just use them wherever, whenever.

Personal practice aided by essential oils

Yoga has helped me beyond words. I’m more in tune with how my physical body feels everyday and my mental state. Some days they are aligned, other days they are not. I feel like yoga and essential oils pair perfectly together. Yoga helps you decipher where you are in the moment and essential oils can support your response to those sensations. You can start and end on such a special note.

DoTerra grounding blend

When the AromaTouch workshop popped up on my radar I was immediately interested. The package I chose included a class to learn a specific essential oils treatment (AromaTouch) technique, a kit of basic essential oils and a petal diffuser.

The AromaTouch scents are simple oils and blends great for beginners, like myself. The DoTerra AromaTouch kit includes:

1) Balance (blend)

2) Lavender

3) Melaleuca

4) On Guard (blend)

5) AromaTouch (blend)

6) Deep Blue (blend)

7) Wild Orange

8) Peppermint

The workshop was lovely. Brenda and Maura (the two studio owners) made sure the space felt comfortable for all to receive, take and learn about the treatment.

The treatment is simple and repetitive. You apply coconut oil to the spine of your patient. You apply 2-3 drops of each essential oil in a specific order. With each oil application you follow the same hand technique such as palm circles, spine activation or tissue pull. These are similar to what you might do in a massage, but much more gently, because you’re really just there to apply the oil appropriately so they can work their magic.

AromaTouch box & directions

First I was instructed and guided on how to deliver the treatment and we walked through it step by step as I actually did it. The patient was primed with the knowledge that it wasn’t about delivering the perfect experience, but learning how. Then I became the patient and my patient practiced the technique on me.

It was such a sweet exchange! Brenda talked about how easy it is to show family and friends how to do it and how it can be a calming way to spend an afternoon with a friend – giving each other essential oil treatments. Um – yes!

I felt amazing amazing after the treatment. I slept so well that evening and it was definitely a detoxifying sensation. As you can imagine – I was also incredibly calm and relaxed.

Brenda gently touched upon the medical benefits of the AromaTouch technique throughout the workshop – but I think she left most of it up to us to personally understand. She emphasized how great the treatment is to boost immunity, especially during the season for sickness. This makes sense because feeling stressed is so linked to getting sick – so if you can decrease the stress response, you will respond more efficiently to fighting off a cold.

I’m truly thrilled to finally have my own set of essential oils to start exploring using in my every day life. I have a diffuser for my office now and I’m experimenting with blends. There is a ridiculous amount of information out there on this topic, so I haven’t really started to digest it yet, but prefer to learn from experience as I get started.

I like easy to follow visuals like the one below!

I would love to share this treatment with anyone who is interested. First off, I want to practice the technique as well as share with someone how it feels. If you love it, we can talk about you purchasing some oils for yourself.

Did you grow up with essential oils all around you or are you new and interested in the topic like me? Let me know in the comment section OR connect over social media.